The Hospital Wing
by unique.normality
Summary: Sent on a teacher's errand, Lily finds a familiar face in one of the hospital beds. A familiar face with unfamiliar wounds. (Marauder era, Lily/Remus friendship)


"Professor Sprout wanted to know if ten would be enough, Madam Pomfrey," Lily Evans relayed as she held out a basket full of spiked leaves.

The nurse pursed her lips as she inspected the package being presented to her. "I believe these will be enough but I used quite a few the last time. Let me check my storage before you return to your class," Madam Pomfrey instructed before leaving leaving the girl alone in the main area of the Hospital Wing.

Lily straightened her skirt absentmindedly as she glanced around, noticing how empty the large room was. She had only been in here a handful of times during her years at Hogwarts, and never for more than a few hours. She considered herself lucky as there were some students that seemed to sleep in these beds more than their own. The redhead was about to deem the whole hall vacant until she spotted the curtains drawn to block the very last bed at the far end of the long rows. Knowing she shouldn't try and invade some poor student's privacy, Lily took a few steps forward until she caught a break in the curtains, only for her eye to glimpse a familiar head of hair.

"Remus?" Lily murmured to herself. Without a second thought, her feet took her down the aisle. As the bed was almost against the wall, the curtain was only drawn to the side and not in front of the foot of the bed, leaving Lily able to step right into the space without moving it aside.

Her sudden appearance left the patient no time to make himself decent, causing him to jerk backwards against the headrest in his quick attempt to pull the blankets to his chest. Despite his efforts, Lily was left with an eyeful of Remus Lupin's arms and shoulders, at the least, which were adorned with more than a few scars and some fresh bandages. Both students stared at each other for a few long moments before Remus' eyes settled from shock, to fear, and then to bone-deep sorrow until he closed them.

"It's true?" Lily asked, her voice no more than a whisper as she looked upon all the proof she needed to put the pieces together.

Her words triggered Remus to practically fold in upon himself as his head fell into his hands and his knees drew up to his chest. His head was shaking back and forth in its resting place as his fingers gripped his shaggy, sandy hair. "Please," he mumbled, his voice muffled as he begged.

Lily gasped, causing the boy's fingers to tighten, before she closed the distance between them in two strides and all but threw herself at him. "Oh, Remus," she cried, her arms tightening around his shoulders as she fell onto the side of his bed. "I didn't want to believe it but all the signs were there... I can't believe this happened to you! No wonder you're so pale all the time and you miss lessons so much! You poor dear, you must work yourself to death to still be at the top of the class while dealing with this! You're the last person who should have to go through this illness... it's painful, isn't it? And I've heard of what they say about werewolves in the papers and none of that nonsense steps anywhere close to the kind of bloke you are and-"

With her ramblings cut short by Remus pulling away from her, Lily straightened herself up as she blinked away the few tears that had pooled in her bright eyes. She looked at him with such innocent sadness and caring that he could only stare at her in confusion and slight awe. Before he could murmur a word, Lily gasped again and almost jumped away from him.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" She blurted, hovering her hand over his shoulder as to not touch his bandages. "You just looked so miserable-"

Lily broke off once more at the sight of Remus' shining eyes that betrayed the hint of a smile on his lips. He sniffed before he let out a disbelieving laugh and ran his hand through his hair, messing it up more than its previous bedhead state.

"You're one of a kind, Evans," Remus quipped, using the bandaged on his wrist to hastily wipe his eyes.

"Why, were you expecting me to be... scared?" Lily asked, looking at him incredulously. "Don't be daft. If anything would make me stop being your friend, it would be who you hang out with way before it would be your... slight... problem."

Remus stared at her for a second longer before another soft smile slid on his face and he slowly leaned back on his mound of pillows that were propped against the headboard. He took a deep breath, his eyes on the ceiling as if taking in the moment.

"Not many people know, Lily," Remus said softly. "I... my worst fear, second only to actually... hurting someone, is others finding out. It would mean the end of so much... I've gotten used to all this" (he vaguely waved his hand) "and I hope to stay for a bit longer."

Lily repositioned herself on her edge, her hand sliding to grip his from its place on the sheet below him. "I'll say yes to Potter before I tell anyone. I'm the best secret keeper around, Remus, haven't you heard?" Lily laughed, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Well then I'd better pack my bags," Remus sighed as he sat up, moving as if he was going to get out of bed.

Lily scoffed, breaking his chuckle off into a cough as she pushed him back onto the bed with a hand to the chest. "Over his dead body, Lupin," she snorted, crossing her arms and turning away from him with a huff.

"James would make it happen," Remus smirked as he settled himself back into bed, taking a moment to catch his break while she was pretending to be angry and not looking towards him. "How... how did you find out, Lily? N-no one told you, did they?"

Lily bit her lip while glancing back at him, seeing the hint of fear blossoming on his face. She opened her mouth to explain but was interrupted again.

"Miss Evans! I was in my office for one minute and now you're off disturbing my patients!" The school nurse cried as she rounded the corner of the barrier, hands on her hips. Her usual strict manner was tinged with a motherly protectiveness stemmed from years of looking after the same boy month after month. She was close to dragging the intruder out of the Hospital Wing when she saw her charge rest his hand on the redhead's arm.

"She's fine, Madam Pomfrey," Remus assured with a stronger smile. "She won't cause any trouble. And that would be a nice change from my usual visitors, wouldn't it?"

The formidable stronghold of a nurse pursed her lips tightly as she surveyed the young werewolf. "Ten minutes. Any longer and I won't write you a pass back to Herbology, Miss Evans," she announced before turning back to her office, her white shoes barely making a sound.

"You're her favorite, aren't you?" Lily asked with a grin as she turned back to Remus, her smile turning into a laugh as he opened the drawer beside him to reveal many a box of Chocolate Frogs.

"No one else could get away with this but she knows how much better it makes me feel," Remus smirked as he dug out two boxes and threw her one. "If you don't keep the cards yourself, save them for Sirius. Half his collection is from me."

"They know, don't they?" Lily murmured, already knowing the answer as she bit the head off her frog. "I've noticed your monthly routine for most of the year and always had the idea of a... werewolf in the back of my mind but was never sure. But I've seen the way James and Sirius and Peter mother you before and after the moon. They make sure you eat and give you notes..."

Remus snorted softly at the description of his friends before shrugging. "They've known since our second year... I'm actually surprised it took _you _this long, to tell the truth. But the lads have known for a while. They... they're the reason I'm still here, why I have the energy to keep going. I know you aren't too fond of them, Lily, but I'm lucky to have 'em."

Lily took a deep breath as she grabbed his hand in hers once more. "Fine, I'll give them that. They are loyal little buggers, aren't they?"

"Mm," Remus acknowledged as he finished his frog in two bites, shifting against his pillows as he chewed. Once he swallowed, his gaze moved back to his visitor. "You never answered my question, Lily."

She fidgeted with her card, watching Mirabella Plunkett almost swim out of the frame. "I had... noticed things before, so it wasn't anything new. It just... reassured my suspicions."

"Snape." Remus' tone was definite as he plucked the card from her hands and set it on the nightstand with another stack. "He had promised he wouldn't tell but I suppose he had to at least warn you what sort you were conversing with, eh?"

"But you said only your... Marauder friends knew," Lily insisted, leaning forward with slight worry. She would hate for Remus to deal with any more trouble than he already had on his plate.

"I said very few were aware," Remus corrected smoothly. "The teachers, James, Sirius, Peter... and Severus Snape."

Lily's eyes narrowed in thought as she studied the boy before her. "I highly doubt you sat him down for a nice chat to tell him. Of all people, Remus!"

The boy shook his head before she could question him any further. He shifted the blankets to cover more of his chest until he froze Lily with a firm look. "Snape guessed as you did but his inklings were confirmed in a different manner. But I will not tell you how and neither will he. No one talks about that. He shouldn't have said anything to you," Remus said before trailing off, clearing his throat as he looked away from her, his eyes troubled once more.

Lily bit her lip before putting her anxious hands to good use and reaching over to fix a loose bandage on his arm. "He just dropped a few hints," Lily whispered, knowing not to delve into anything he was not comfortable with discussing. "He never actually said the "w" word or even "moon." Severus simply made me notice more, I suppose. But I doubt he expected me to remain your friend... which just shows how little he knows me. And you! You expected me to run off screaming? I should be insulted!"

Remus allowed her to fiddle with his bandages as he gave her another one of his rare smiles. "I apologize then, Miss Evans. I should have believed in you and our friendship."

"Too right," Lily tutted, ignoring Remus' slight eye roll as she continued on and tucked his blanket around him firmly before reaching up to fluff his pillows a tad. She glanced at what of his chest she could see before shaking her head. "And here I was thinking you didn't immediately strip your shirt off as soon as you were outside with an afternoon free, as your idiotic friends do, because you had some sense in that head of yours. But no, you just were a little self conscious, weren't you?"

Remus ducked his head a little, his fringe falling into his eyes as he snickered. "I like to think I have a little bit of sensibility. A teaspoon, at least. It's somewhere up there, right next to my barely used Prefect badge, I reckon."

Lily laughed, leaning against his raised knees. "You know, I'm quite surprised you don't have a girlfriend, Remus. Plenty of girls love that hurt puppy look." As soon as the words registered, she gasped before her hand went over her mouth in an appalled fashion.

Sensing her horror and the impending stream of apologies, Remus waved her off as he laughed. "I don't know how many times James has said that to me," he sniggered. "A hundred, at least."

Lily shook her head, still sure that she offended him. "I didn't mean to make a joke of your condition, I swear!"

"Lily, if there's one thing that made be feel better once I got to Hogwarts and the lads revealed they knew my secret, it was being able to laugh about it. My parents spent years taking it seriously, but once it was joked about, I actually felt my age. And it made me see that something that could be laughed at was something that didn't matter all too much to those laughing," Remus relayed, giving her another smile as he patted her arm. "Besides, if I let my nickname slide, I can take a few dog jokes."

The redhead before him let her brow furrow in confusion until realization dawned and her mouth fell open slightly. "What a silly nickname! Could they be any more obvious? Honestly!" She exclaimed, her arms crossing as she took on a haughty posture, causing Remus to laugh again.

"Silly, yes, but better than Peter's, at least," Remus grinned, amused by her indignation. He simply watched her as she shook her head while leaning forward to grab more treats for them from the drawer. His face seemed almost relieved by her presence, as if he wouldn't have anyone else mocking his choice of friends but her.

"Thank you," he blurted, causing her to look surprised as she tore open her candy. At the look on her face, he shook his head while opening his own. "I know you weren't raised with the same prejudices as others, so this is easier for you, but thank you for... still seeing me as Remus."

Lily shook her hair off her shoulder as she rolled her eyes at him. "Remus-the-werewolf is still Remus-the-only-Gryffindor-boy-in-my-year-I-can-hold-conversations-with. Although I suppose "Moony" is a better title than that."

"MOONY!" A shout was heard from just inside the Hospital Wing doors, causing Lily to wrinkle her noise.

"Loads quicker to shout obnoxiously, too, I'd say," Lily scoffed, not moving from her spot on the bed as if she were holding her ground in a battle. She snapped the head off her selected frog a lot more viciously than before just as three boys turned around the curtain, ignoring the nurse's scoldings.

"You missed a killer Herbology lesson today, Moons. Top notch. But so did Evans, strangely enough. She never-" Sirius Black's voice stopped short as soon as he laid eyes on his mate's guest who was making herself right at home on the end of the bed.

Lily raised an eyebrow at the newcomers challengingly as she chewed on her chocolate. "I suppose it never occurred to you that this was a place of peace and quiet?" She asked once she swallowed her mouthful.

"A place for Prefects to skive, I'd say," Sirius said, but his voice lacked the usual spark as his eyes moved to Remus. "Alright there, mate?"

"Didn't realize you already had some company," James Potter said slowly, looking warily between Lily and Remus, looking as unsure as Peter about this new development.

Sirius didn't give Remus time to respond as he took a step forward. "I see you've found Remus here, Evans. Are you sure you want to sit so close, you might catch something. The Pox, right, Remus?"

Remus and Lily rolled their eyes simultaneously but Remus snorted while Lily frowned. "The Pox? Dragon Pox? Is that the best excuse you could think of, Black? I'm sure Remus would be looking a lot worse if he was suffering from that sort of illness. He'd have pockmarks, for one thing, not scratches. Unless you think Dragon Pox means you turn into a dragon, but you aren't that thick, are you?" Lily raised her thin eyebrow again, paying no mind to Remus' quickly covered laugh and James' hesitant grin.

"Then what are you doing here, Evans?" Sirius demanded outright, stopping any attempt to beat around the bush.

"Visiting my friend in the Hospital Wing, just like you," Lily said firmly, sitting up. "He's had a rough night, you see. Turning into a dragon and all."

Remus didn't hide his laugh this time as his friends shared a glance. They finally shuffled around and sat in the available chairs once Peter shrugged, all still giving Lily unsure looks.

"Mother hens, the lot of you," she declared, causing Remus to start coughing amidst his laughs, leaving his friends to look surprised but pleased.

"I at least hope Evans hasn't eaten all of your stash. We're still looking for a Herp the Foul card, gents!" Sirius announced, diving for the drawer of treasures and digging through as if he were picking his name for a lottery.

Lily rolled her eyes once more before turning back to Remus. "Well I'd love to stay but you seem to have your hands full here," she said pointedly as a runaway frog landed on his head, only for Peter to grab it with the stealth of a Seeker. "I need to go explain myself to Professor Sprout anyhow, plus I forgot my books and I'd hate to see what the Tentacula plant did to them." The redhead leaned forward to give him a gentle hug, her limbs wary of his damaged ones. She gave him a smile as she stood, giving the whole group a flippant wave before she began down the long hall of the Hospital Wing.

Lily barely made it past the fifth bed before she heard footsteps after her, and then a hand grasping her elbow. She stopped, turned, and had to lift her head more than expected as she wasn't sure how James Potter had seemingly gotten taller in the matter of minutes.

"I know you're not our number one fan, Evans," the bespectacled boy said with a huff of laughter before his face adopted a serious expression she had never seen before. "But look... I don't know how you found out about him and all but... We're going to trust you here, Lily."

"Trust me?" Lily questioned, trying to not sound insulted, interested in how formal he seemed.

"If you were anyone else, we would tell Dumbledore about you knowing," James informed her gravely. "I'm not saying he would Obliviate you or make you make an Unbreakable Vow or anything like that. But he takes this as seriously as we do and we can't have any mishaps. You tell one other person, and Remus is as good as gone."

Lily's eyes widened slightly as she stared at James, not even noticing that his hand was still on her arm. She knew how important Remus' secrecy was but James made it seem as if they were on the edge and had always been.

She took a breath through her noise, straightening herself up as she met his eye. "Don't be ridiculous, Potter," she said sternly. "I can't afford to lose Remus. Who would do Prefect rounds and share his Honeydukes' Best with me?"

James looked a bit confused for a moment before his grim face broke out into a grin. "Cheers, Evans!" He said loudly before allowing himself to watch her stomp her way out of the wing.

(A/N: It's been a while since I've written a fic but I _have_ read plenty. Remus Lupin is my favorite character by far and I definitely have a strict characterization of him in my head and can identify it while reading, so I hope I was able to convey that with my writing. I was laying in bed thinking about this and I hope it's good, especially since I had to try and remember some of the wording I was able to come up with in bed. For the record, I was thinking of this taking place during their 6th year, I suppose. I hope I didn't mess up or leave out anything canon because I'm usually a stickler about that myself. Anyway, hope someone enjoys this! Let me know if there are any mistakes, I'll fix anything.)


End file.
